Skills Maintenance (AKA Proficiency)

Every year you have to complete a skills maintenance (aka proficiency) by 31st December. It is a refresher of your awards to make sure you are still competent to patrol or compete. THIS MUST BE COMPLETED EVERY YEAR. Skills maintenance are needed for the following awards – SRC, Bronze Medallion, Advanced Resuscitation Techniques (ART/ARTC), Spinal Management, IRB Crew & Driver, Gold Medallion.

To continue to patrol or compete you must be proficient in SRC or Bronze Medallion. If you do not complete by 31st December than you will not be able to patrol/compete from 1st January.

Only awards gained after 30 June, in a particular year are then proficient in that award until 31 December in the following season.

For Example:

I gained my bronze medallion on 24th April 2016. Therefore, you must complete a Skills Maintenance before 31st December 2016

I gained my Bronze Medallion on 12th December 2016. Therefore, you are proficient until 31st December 2017, you must do a skills maintenance in the 2017/18 season

Once that day/time slot is full (maximum of 24 members per session), no one else can be added to it. Therefore, pick another day. Just like the last three season, you cannot just turn up to a session. You must registrar. If you hold an ARTC award, please just sign up to ARTC as these sessions include your bronze and if you do not hold a ARTC award then please don’t sign up to one!

Try to swap your other engagement as a first option as this may prove your easier option. If you can’t then you can do a skills maintenance at another club. SLSA have changed the process and you can no longer just turn up at another club. If you do, that club will send you away.

You must seek permission from your own club (North Bondi) and you must also seek permission of the club you wish to do your skills maintenance at. Once both clubs have approved your proficiency, then you have to collect a proficiency card from North Bondi Office. You must then take that card to the skills maintenance at the club you have selected and then return that card to North Bondi Office after completion. All of this process is your responsibility and not North Bondi Education or the Office.

What happens if I miss or can’t complete a SM by the 31st December 2017?

If you still want to patrol, then you must complete a late skills maintenance. You cannot patrol until you are proficient again. If you miss the date, you must complete a “LATE SM REQUEST FORM, which is only available after the 1st January 2018. Please do not request this form until 1st January. You must complete this form by 14th January 2018, no applications after this date will be accepted.

This is then collated and sent to Sydney Branch SLS (or NSW State if a competitor). Sydney Branch Director of Lifesaving then approves or rejects the request. If approved, then a new date will be set by North Bondi SLSC.

Spinal Management

There has been a change in SLSA following the Australian Resuscitation Committee review. Therefore, this season all spinal management skills maintenance will be added into the Bronze and ART sessions.

IRB Crew and IRB Driver Skills Maintenance

This is carried out by the IRB Education section and all members that hold these awards will be contacted about this seasons process by the IRB Captain. Please contact the IRB Captain via our online contact form with any enquiries.

About

North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club, one of Australia’s oldest and most famous surf clubs, is a wonderful blend of the best of old and new in Australian life saving.